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INTEODTJOTION.
to the antiquarian scholar. It was now possible for
every one who had not access to the manuscripts, to
see the Old-Scandinavian religion in its primitive,
self-created form, and the learned of other lands
were enabled to examine it for themselves. The
Edda of Eesenius, hitherto the mythological canon,,
was now thrown in the background. This Institu-
tion continued to flourish, and since the latter part
of the last century it has been the central life by
which the multifarious labors in Northern Antiqui-
ties and Mythology have been sustained.
Among the contemporary works in this department,
many of which reflect great honor upon the
Danish literati of that time, we may mention Lange-
bek's Collection of Danish Historians, Schoning's
edition of the Heimskringla, and the diversified la-
bors of Suhm. The latter not only did much himself
for the restoration of Icelandic literature, but
he encouraged and assisted the labors of others with
princely liberality. A number of Sagas* were pub-
lished, either directly by him or through his agency,
and at his expense. In the same field and with like
zeal labored Mallet, Thorkelin, Sandvig, the elder
Thorlacius, and others. Mallet was a learned Frenchman
who devoted his attention to Scandinavian
lore, and by his writings contributed to enlarge the
field of mythic studies, and give a more systematic
and tangible form to Northern Mythology. His
co-laborer was a celebrated Icelander named Eiriks-
son, to whom he was greatly indebted for the fuU-
* LftudnSma-b6k, Orkneyinga Saga, Hervarar Saga, Eyrbyggia
Saga, and others.